Having debuted with the national team back in 2011 at EuroBasket, Aleksey Shved has been a key figure on this team since. He averaged 8.5 points in Lithuania evolving into first point guard option in the process. Shved then was one of the team's stars alongside Andrei Kirilenko and Viktor Khryapa at the 2012 Olympic Games. He averaged more than 11 points and scored 25 in the bronze medal game against Argentina to help Russia reach perhaps its biggest success to date. The Timberwolves guard is an amazing ball handler who changes direction and speed of his dribbling with ease. With excellent size for the backcourt, he is a playmaker who can create for himself and also for others, especially utilising the pick and roll. Shved worked a lot on his body during the past season which allowed him to become a better finisher and defender, he can now guard both guard positions. Aleksey has never had any problems concerning his self-confidence but the very impressive rookie season with the Minnesota Timberwolves will obviously help him even more. He averaged 8.6 points and made it to the Rookie Challenge game. The 24-year-old will be playing his first tournament in a star status, when a big part of the team's result depends on him. It will be interesting to see how he deals with the pressure.